John Bates
John Bates, more commonly referred to as Mr. Bates is Lord Grantham's valet. Initially he is poorly treated by most of the staff due to the fact his uses a cane; Thomas and O'Brien make several attempts to get rid of him. Despite this he is eventually able to earn the respect of much of the staff such as Anna and Mr. Carson who are impressed by his morals and work ethic despite his disability. Season 1 ﻿John Bates arrives at Downton to replace Mr Watson as valet for Lord Grantham. The staff quickly learn he is an old friend. When it is made obvious that he uses a cane; the staff are at best surprised and at worst outraged; feeling that they will have to pick up the slack for John due to his disability slowing him down in the large house. Most of the staff give him the cold shoulder while Thomas and O'Brien try to get rid of him to further their own ends. Only the housemaid Anna offers him any sympathy and friendship. Feeling he is not wanted he tries to leave but Lord Grantham; knowing his friend will have little luck finding another placement because of his disability and also owing a debt to him for an unknown event in the Boer War, insists that he stay. Through out the series he is at odds with Thomas who tries to get rid of him to take his place has valet. John tries to ignore him at first. Still being ignored by the rest of the staff save Anna he gains an ally in William when he observes Thomas bullying the younger man who is suffering with severe homesickness. An overconfident Thomas makes a snide remake that Mr. Bates can do nothing to stop him, only for Bates to violently grab him and shove him against the wall, showing that despite his disability, he is not to be underestimated. Season Season 2 Season 2 John Bates returns to Downton Abbey, determined to marry Anna. However his wife appears and blackmails him to return to her, using the threat to publish Lady Mary's scandal. However, John Bates turns up later on in the War, working in a pub at Downton, where he is visited by both Anna and Lord Grantham. John reveals he may have information about his wife having an affair, which means he can sue for divorce. It turns out he is mistaken and the divorce cannot go ahead.﻿ He visits his wife and returns with a scar on his cheek. He refers to wishing her dead to Lord Grantham and to Anna. When his wife is revealed to have died-we are led to believe it is suicide. Bates feels guilty over this because he realizes that since there was no note, it wasn't pre-meditated. Bates had bought some arsenic to kill the rats when they were married, and believes that it was her spur of the moment decision to drink the poison. ﻿ Anna is tired of waiting for Bates, whether it is waiting for his divorce, or waiting for his lawyers to sort out the suicide, so she tells him that she wants to marry him immediately. They go back to Downton and when they Bates is arrested for the murder of his wife. He is tried and found guilty because of the evidence against him(paragraph above) told by his close friends while they were under oath, and although he was sentenced to hang, because it seems there was no premeditation, it was changed to a life sentence. Anna and the lawyers are still planning to appeal the verdict.﻿ Category:Servants Category:Characters